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Idaho Democrats Play Key Roles in Obama Victory

Nobody in Idaho suffered any delusion to whom the state's four electoral votes were going, but few are aware that two of Idaho's prodigal sons were influential in achieving victory for Obama.

Jim Messina, who grew up in Boise and graduated from Boise High School led Obama’s reelection campaign that observers said used a mix of behavioral science and technology to identify and get out to vote a new crop of voters to the coalition. He has now kept his election victory record intact since he ran a campaign for former Missoula Mayor Dan Kemmis in 1993. The sky seems to be the limit for his future.

Vice President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Bruce Reed grew up in Coeur D’ Alene, the son of environmental attorney Scott Reed and former Democratic Senator Mary Lou Reed. He was credited by former President Bill Clinton as co-author of his powerful convention speech that energized Democratic activists.

Jim Messina's star couldn't be higher right now given this quote from last week: "We have the math. They have the myth." And to underscore the ludicrous nature of Obama's liberal/socialist tag of which the right wing media is so fond, Messina was formerly the chief of staff to blue dog Senator Baucus of Montana. Even with these conservative credentials, Messina's fact based pragmatism who helped shepherd Obamacare through his senate committee and eventually the full congress before Obama brought him on board in the White House. I cannot think of anyone who has been a more influential force in this administration and thus the country in the last four years.

Bruce Reed formerly headed what's left of the DLC, a centrist Democratic organization, before being asked to be Vice President Biden's Chief of Staff. His efforts at assembling persuasive facts for Clinton's convention speech earned Clinton the internet title of "Secretary of Explaining Shit", a sanitized version of which later became his preferred title by the Obama campaign in later speeches. If Republicans can't find common ground with these two Idahoans, then it's the Republican party playing politics. Or they have become so ideologically extreme in their epistemic bubble, they can't be reasoned with.

11/9: Updated for clarity and to add a link to Rachel's video. Thanks to the Idaho Dems who thought this worthy of a link up.

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... unfortunately when it comes down to it, Obama really is kind of lame.

Don't get me wrong, Romney is/was lame as hell too, so I was destined to be dissatisfied by either. But if the point is to get kudos beyond your own group, a far bigger accomplishment for Idaho has been the strong support Idaho Democrats gave to the No on Prop 1, 2, 3 campaign.

Just saying ... imagine Democrats associated with Idaho accomplish two things; one the majority of Idahoans are pretty stoked about which clearly differentiates your party from the incumbent GOP (a distinction that is 'oft difficult to discern here in Idaho), and one the majority of Idahoans aren't particularly happy about at all. If the point of promoting a party is to make Idaho voters want to vote for you in the next cycle ... shouldn't effort go to bragging about the accomplishment Idahoans totally love while playing down the one they don't?

Seriously. Good job on the ballot initiatives, and thanks to all the Democrats out there who put in effort to getting those lame laws overturned. To me, that really made a positive difference for the state.

And also too ... why the hell are Democrats always trying so hard at promoting to the highest levels of government representatives which dating-site metrics indicate should be BFF bosom-buddies with the party they supposedly offer an alternative to, again? Who actually *wants* to see that? Also.